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Alejandra
Beneath shining plate mail you hear the voice of a woman with a thick southern accent. "So long as you are safe, that is all that matters." Alejandra Rogaceu is a human paladin (with some fighter training) and army veteran from southern Laurasia. She favours armoured gauntlets and grappling styles in combat (which she also uses in duels), and she prefers non-lethal takedowns. She will also use her imposing presence and close-quarters combat style to terrify opponents into submission, and focuses the warmth of the sun's rays into a source of healing for herself and her allies. Since her acquisition of Ourado, a wonderous bronze statue of a griffon, she has been also practicing mounted aerial combat maneuvers. Alejandra is approximately 40 years old, though she does not know her exact birthday. She stands at 6'7" and has dark skin and hair, as befits her desert-dwelling heritage. Her hair she keeps at a manageable shoulder-length and keeps it tied back into a braid which fits under a helmet. The rest of her body is covered head-to-toe in highly-polished full plate, which glints brightly in the sunlight, offers her supreme protection, and grants her a more imposing presence with which to intimidate foes. Her church worships Sarenrae, but her own beliefs sometimes fall at odds with those of her peoples' teachings, sometimes referring to the sun goddess as a being of "great cruelty". She speaks with a southern regional accent that occasionally causes her to mangle pronounciations of proper names from other regions (exemplified in her referring to the changeling killer Arcade as "ar-kaa-GEE"), and her own name she pronounces with a fluidity that others find indecipherable. Locals have taken to referring to her as "Allie". She is the wife of Ballantino Rogaceu and mother of Noemia and Leão. She has made reference to a third child, an older boy, but has recently revealed that he is dead. She reacted rather erratically in the past on the subject of her family, and had a violent reaction to Dr. Haiduc's Harrowing making a reference to her loss, though her main concern seems to be a fear of lashing out again. Other triggers such as an oddly melancholic reaction to the sight of a flame-enchanted sword offered to her by the Djinn of Djinn have been noted, but not yet elaborated upon. More recently, she has begun to open up on the subject of her family to people like the Reverend Mother and Jura, and departed for her hometown of Avenida in order to bring her family back to Willowdale with her. Since their arrival, she has seemed calmer about the subject of her own past, but now worries for their safety even within the wall. She also duels her martial combat-capable travelling companions with great regularity, citing a desire to see their "warriors' hearts" and focus her own skills. She goes all-out in these fights, using the same intimidation tactics she uses on her foes, but also takes care to heal her opponents when the fight is over. She claims her fight has taken her away from home because she wants to help the world become a more peaceful place, and she will be a shield to anyone else who feels the same way. After the Nightmare More recently, she was affected by a nightmare similar to the ones seen by others in Willowdale, she is rather hesitant to explain the contents of it beyond the fact that it took place in her home, and involved someone telling her "something he wasn't meant to." The only person she has revealed any more to was the Reverend Mother, telling her that the man in the dream told Alejandra of her son's death, though it wasn't the person whom Alejandra remembers telling her. The rest of the party has yet to ask for any more details, as further mention of her dream disturbs her greatly. She went so far as to request a chance to ask the spirits with which Jura communes if her family was in danger, despite Alejandra's misgivings about using Jura's gift to such a personal end. On engaging the lich in Ur-Nahash, Alejandra opted to charge in and keep the magic-user in a tight chokehold for the entirety of the battle, taking a full-force fireball and a magic missile to the side of the head without letting go before the rest of the party dissolved the lich's body. The party noted a particularly aggressive streak from her personality this time around, and she even growled a promise to the lich as he disintegrated: When told that the Necromancer had other followers, she responded with "Then you'll just be our first!" There is a suspicion that this necromancer has made things extremely personal with Alejandra because of the content of her dream, and she does seem more inclined to display a righteous fury in the face of his undead minions. Until Ravenswood On this adventure, Alejandra suggested travelling towards the Rheic Sea, and ended up following the group into Sosostriss' Tower after Rinzler discovered a means of controlling the portal in the cloakroom. Unfortunately, Alejandra's suggestion of commanding the portal to link them to the portal nearest to the Rheic Sea landed them in the Bone Ziggurat, where the party narrowly escaped the guardians in the portal room. When attempting to cross the River Dawn, Alejandra lost her grip on the rope being used to help the party cross the river, and had to be rescued by Rinzler and Jura in water elemental form. Upon being rescued, she implored the unicorn the group encountered for help, and it led them to the druid circle of Ravenswood. She claimed to like riddles as a child when asked by the mysterious owl, but also admitted that she was quite poor at them. Nevertheless, she managed to confidently answer two of the riddles, and seemed quite pleased at the opportunity to solve problems with wits rather than force. She then traded her Raven Figurine to Terminus for a bag of 14 freshwater pearls, citing a desire to be able to hear from him in case the Druids should ever be in danger or need to communicate with her. She has also been practicing the Litany of the Dead in her spare time. Thanks to a phonetic translation of the elven script courtesy of Rinzler, she has managed to successfully sing four of the five stanzas that unlock the scroll's power. Despite being untrained, she has a natural singing talent. Towards Deepen Dale Before departing for parts unknown, Alejandra opted to sing the Litany of the Dead in its entirety in an impromptu public performance at the Boar & Thistle. This had the dual benefit of unlocking the scroll's full potential, and giving Alejandra some coin which she donated to the poorbox in the Temple of Yoma. The group then departed to the Doors to the North, where Alejandra used her chance to enter the crystal vault to get a set of Plate Armor of the Deep, which, rather fortuitously, fit her perfectly. On traveling to the Red Forest, she discussed the prospect of granting additional power to the armour with Dr. Haiduc, as she wanted to fortify it to match the power of her existing set of armour. After unlocking an elven tomb and acquiring some new goods, the group entered the Red Forest and attacked a chuul, with Alejandra being the unwitting target of an Enlarge Person spell from Dr. Haiduc. Upon concluding the fight, Alejandra opted to rather excitedly test her new armour on the waters of the Limnol Lake, where she swam for some time before engaging a choker trawling the bottom of the lake for shellfish. After capturing and interrogating the creature with the help of the other waterbound allies, Alejandra threw it back into the lake, citing an unwillingness to kill a helpless creature in cold blood, despite its evil nature. Their investigation more or less concluded, the party then traveled north, where Alejandra watched with rapt intrest as Dr. Haiduc performed an odd ceremony at the Shrine to Coyote. After exploring the Drunken Frith, the group ended up defending themselves early the next day from an attacking roc, with Jura successfully repelling it with an ice storm spell. They then started exploring Deepen Dale as far as its Druid Circle, where Alejandra was stunned by the ability to see her own breath in the cold air, as well as confused by the concept of snow. The party then went briefly back to Ravenswood via the circle. There, Alejandra exchanged a few words with Terminus, insisting that he keep her Raven Figurine until such time as her help was needed. On describing the encounter with the roc, Terminus mentioned that, traditionally speaking, Jura was now considered to be of "great virility" and had the right to claim a wife. When Enrique suggested that Alejandra be Jura's wife, Alejandra replied that this was a matter best discussed between Jura and her husband. Alejandra then climbed an exceptionally large and inhabited tree, and spoke an ancient riddle to the wind upon reaching the top, expecting a response. When none came, she said she would return for the answer later. Finding Sosostriss The group's journey to find Sosostriss started, oddly enough, with an incidental journey at Kat's behest to find the intended recipient of Brother Harold's ring. On searching about the town, they found that Brother Harold's sister had borne children who began an inheritance feud, and it was continuing into even the next generation. The party found Brother Harold's great-nephew, and offered to give him the ring at his father's funeral on the condition that he try to resolve matters with his aunt. As a reward, he offered to name his first-born daugher after Alejandra, wrote poems about Kat, Sparkle Pony, and Ru, and introduced Jura to an acquaintance of his at dinner. Though the more ceremonious part of the wake passed uneventfully, the alcohol began to flow as the day drew to a close, and despite her attempts to remain sober for the sake of her teammates, tradition and respect to her hosts demanded that Alejandra take the drink that was offered to her, and it resulted in her surprisingly immediate inebriation. Alejandra and Ru thus talked long into the night about family and the value of doing the right thing for no reward, and Ru seemed genuinely shocked to learn that Alejandra has children. Sometime during the night, Zuni also managed to get up the stairs to the guest bedrooms to awaken everyone in the morning, and no one is completely certain how. Upon recovering completely from the previous night's events, the group headed for Sosostriss' tower, though Alejandra stopped at a bookstore in Willowdale to purchase a racy "romance novel" called "The Elven King" as a gift to offer to their host (and she good-naturedly informed the bookstore owner that she was, in fact, buying it for a friend). The group stopped only to rest in the Great Cedar Forest before being chased out by Chickcharney. On their attempt to get in thorough Sosostriss' front door once again, the party triggered a new trap which summoned a swarm of angry bees before them, and after an unsuccessful attempt to use Knights Calling to stir the swarm, Alejandra jumped in the moat and the rest of the party followed suit (Ru by accident). The group entered and made their way up to the top floor with little incident (apart from a near-encounter with an angry piano) and, upon making their way through the secret passages leading to Sosostriss' personal lab, recreation room and quarters, found her asleep in bed upon their arrival at three bells. The group thus opted to wait for her to awake, assuming that she was taking a short midday nap. Alejandra even kept watch in front of the bedroom door, waiting to greet their (unwitting) host upon upon her awakening. When Sosostriss did awake, though, she attacked Alejandra on sight, who took a Ray of Enfeeblement before getting out of the way. Kat managed to somewhat placate the necromancer, and they all went to the downstairs drawing room to sort things out a little further. During their discussion, Sosostriss revealed that the Necromancer the party was hunting was apparently a man of great renown to her and her fellow reclusive mages Rathbone the Red and Baron Firth. Though Alejandra and company tried to convince her of the danger posed by his activities, eventually they negotiated down to paying the so-called "Elder Wizard" a visit to re-assure one party or the other's intentions. On taking the coat-room portal, the group recognized the size and layout of the blood-filled portal room in the Bone Ziggurat, but the walls and floor were clean marble, and they were greeted by a humanoid figure in white robes with its eyes and mouth stitched shut. It was eventually joined by two others: One in a funeral mask and another with gemstone eyes, with the three of them being known as the First, Second, and Third servants, respectively. Alejandra was able to discern their evil nature early, and noticed that the Third was staring at her with a particular intensity, and she recognized him as the one the party fought at Ur-Nahash. She would then acidly comment to The First that she assumed The Third looked more like the "first" to her. Though Kat insistently attempted to get the three servants to invite the Necromancer to a grand cake-baking competition, Alejandra started to pierce the veil of illusion and recognize the room for what it was, and attempted to signal to Sosostriss to do the same by brushing her blood-stained sabatons against Sosostriss' robes. As The First's tone grew more sinister, the three servants departed and a massive illusion of the Necromancer filled the room, eyes aglow with the same prismatic effect that the party saw in their nightmares. Alejandra and Sosostriss were able to overcome the compulsion magics of the Necromancer, and guided the party back through the portal into Sosostriss' tower, and thereafter convinced her to move to Willowdale to significantly improve her chances of survival. Sosostriss even mentioned that she was hoping the Necromancer would somehow give her the power to bear a child, and she even apologized to the group for being blind to his true nature. The group thus guided their host back to town, and Alejandra, realizing that she still had a copy of "The Elven King" to give to her guest, decided that the current state of affairs didn't warrant such a gift at all. Upon getting back to Willowdale and informing Valconey of the turn of events, he seemed regretful of his past treatment of Sosostriss. Alejandra, however, reassured him that the mistakes of the past are gone, and that his responsibility must now be to do the right thing going forward. As a reward for saving the reclusive necromancer, Valconey gave the group his Aqua Vitae potion, and Sosostriss gave them Baron Firth's collection of enhancement medications. Alejandra had her eyes on a potion that would boost her strength, but gave it to Ru unquestioningly when she noted that the rogue had her eyes on it. Alejandra the Planeswalker One of the excursions to the Rheic Sea took the party of Jura, Kat, Rinzler, and Alejandra to the southern end of the Farsang Fens, where Jura and Rinzler successfully harvested a wish flower. Though Alejandra remained in Sosostriss' tower (reading a book on giant scorpions titled "Sandstorm") the harvest went successfully and Alejandra remained somewhat in the dark as to what the other two were doing, though she was rather inquisitive about why Jura and Rinzler were so interested in a single plant. On travelling to Ravenswood, the party opted to take a test trip through the Druid Circle to another circle which was as yet unknown to them. However, something went wrong and the group was jetissoned into the Astral Plane, where they floated freely through the nothingness until they willed gravity into existence. They were met by a group of Archons who subsequently granted them a blessing to protect them from evil forces. Faced with several choices of portals to go through into other planes, the group set off on a grand misadventure. Their first portal took them to Purgatory, where they saw the spirits of the wandering dead incapable of moving to either heaven or the inferno below. Alejandra wandered off almost immediately, overcome with the need to find someone. The only being to become aware of their presence, however, was an unusual creature who banished them back to the Astral Plane. The second portal took them to a strange and colourless version of Willowdale known as the Shadow Plane, where the buildings were inhabited by shadows that subsequently hunted the party. Travelling up to Valconey's tower, they found a torch that the shadows would not approach, and a journal detailing the possibility of travelling to this plane, the Shadowfell, to do further research. The party ended up being sent back to the Astral Plane shortly after reading it. The third portal took them into a giant rotted log floating through empty space, which was inhabited by millions of insects as well as the Collective Intelligence of Insects. The insects spoke briefly with the Pathfinders before attacking, and Alejandra opted to use a Knight's Calling on the personification of the insects' will, causing the mass of insect life to be drawn to her. Though the party fought bravely and Alejandra and the insects exchanged barbed insults, the Pathfinders were soon sent back to the Astral Plane with a promise from the insects that they would meet again. The fourth portal took the group to a plane dominated by clockwork and gears, apparently known as the Demiplane of Minor Prophecies. Though the Pathfinders asked a number of questions, the god's responses were complete non-sequiturs and didn't help the party in the short term. They thus departed rather unceremoniously thereafter. The fifth portal took them to the Bird-Man's Prison, where they encountered the Arch-Psion. Alejandra, thinking them to be near the Rheic Sea, mistook the deity for Arcade, the changeling killer, upon sensing his evil nature. She atempted to grapple him to ensure his compliance, but when he did not resist and the party identified him for her, she released her grip and he complimented her for making a move "wiser than she will ever know." After watching the deity take one of the group's valuables and try to entice Jura, Alejandra opted to offer him some pesh provided to her by Dr. Haiduc. Though the addiction factor of the drug seemed especially strong on this plane, Alejandra resisted and she and the evil god became quite inebriated. They departed the plane shortly thereafter, and Alejandra's paranoia started to grow as the drugs took hold. The sixth portal took them to the Demiplane of Forgotten Words, where they learned a few ancient terms listed on giant stone tablets which were helpfully defined for them by the phantasmal spirits inhabiting the place. Alejandra curiously opted to try her own family name and some of the keywords for the Druid Circles, but received nothing. The group had to jump from tablet to tablet to avoid falling into the void below (as the tablets disappeared as the words upon them were learned, but they were soon sent back to the Astral Plane to continue their mad journey (though they did spot a Destroyer in the vicinity, and thus opted to leave quickly). The seventh portal took them to the Cathus, Demiplane of Intelligent Cats, where Kat met a new friend in the form of Turtlerose, and Alejandra could do nothing but sit back and slip deeper into madness. The party departed upon their discovery of the statue of the cat-goddess Bast. The eighth and final portal took them to their intended destination of the Golden Fields, where they discovered that no time had passed in their plane during their departure. They returned to Ravenswood, where Alejandra quickly broke down and threw off her gauntlets and boots in a fit, getting insect ichor off her armour and checking her sabatons for spare change. She then weakly asked for a room to stay for the night, as she was in no mood to travel further for that day. Jura took care of some of her lost wisdom, and the rest of the group spoke to the Arch-Druid, now assuming the form of a mountain lion (and later, a wolf). The Arch-Druid revealed that the Wish flower was his, and that he would have liked to have been asked permission to pick the flower, though told the Pathfinders that he believed their cause was just and that he would have stopped them if he believed them capable of misusing the wish. They traded the flower's single seed for a bottle of his Mead, and he introduced them to the sycamore that would later become Dragonstorm Treeborn. Alejandra has since recovered a little from her somewhat traumatic and fantastical journey, now feeling a little wiser concerning exploration outside her home plane. 1st Hobgoblin Legion Offensive Alejandra started the 7th of Leafall by being introduced to Calmex. However, upon learning of his possible complicity in educating the hobgoblins of Legio XIII in warfare tactics, she flew into a rage, upending the breakfast table the party was eating upon and restraining the resurrected man. After a heated argument in which they compared the injustices done to and inflicted by Calmex, Alejandra told him that he should regard his new life as both a gift to correct the injustice of his imprisonment, and an opportunity to make amends for his mistakes. Calmex replied that he would consider her words. The party then discussed posible tactics for throwing the legion camp into disarray, and after discussing the relative weaknesses of the hobgoblins' strategy (which Calmex recognized as practically unchanged from his era) decided on a false flag operation: The group would travel south to the Dead Canyons and approach the camp from the Huecuva's grounds, butcher and de-bone numerous large creatures from the area to create the impression of high-level necromancy at work, and then assail the camp with a massive illusion to make the hobgoblins think the Huecuva were attacking them. Before the group left Willowdale, however, Alejandra challenged Calmex to a short duel to assess his fighting prowess (and trounced him easily, as he dropped his weapon and tried to run when she approached) and began asking several of the party members about ways of magically forcing the truth from a man, though she did not say why. Though there was some surprise at the paladin's desire to curse another human being, there were no further questions asked on the subject. On reaching the Dead Canyons, the group found one of Doctor Haiduc's fellows, the Janni of the Dead Canyons. On entering their home dug into the side of the cliff, Alejandra recognized the women as being regarded as mythical healers and witches among her own people, and that they enforced an oath of peace within their premises. The party shared information of their travels in exchange for food and a place to spend the night, and upon awakening, went immediately to the legion camp to perform their initial reconnaisance. Calmex identified the watch towers used by the legion camp, with four in each cardinal direction and another four in between each of those. The group thus decided that on their attack run, they would attempt to strike at the two or three of them nearest the Dead Canyons before making their retreat. With the plan in place, the group attacked a large basilisk that was seen wandering the area, and blinded, deafened, and butchered it completely before removing all the bones and creating a false circle of necromancy. Later on, a group of wandering ogres happened upon the body, and the group attacked them as well after Alejandra identified them as evil creatures who had already taken numerous lives. During the battle against the ogres, however, Alejandra went completely berserk, grappling and crawling up the sides of the massive creatures and striking at their faces with lethal intent, screaming loudly all the while. The last ogre attempted to retreat, but Erevis shot a crossbow bolt into its back and Alejandra, carried to its location by Dr. Haiduc, pursued it mercilessly, finishing it by driving her hand into its back and tearing out a large section of its spine. Erevis even managed to retrieve the bolt he fired into the ogre's back completely undamaged as a result. Alejandra subsequently cried out in terror once the battle was over, as she looked at herself completely covered in gore. The Doctor tried to comfort her, but she turned away and wandered off, only returning to aid with the next part of the plan wordlessly, looking very much ashamed of herself. That evening, she confided in the group and told them that she sometimes sees herself back on the battlefield when she was much younger when she gets into a battle. She can clearly picture the sword still in her hand, and the rush of being in a melee with her fellows at her sides and crushing the enemy in front. She is frightened by her own loss of control and her own perceived hypocricy when it comes to conduct: arguing for mercy during times of peace but becoming brutal in actual combat. The Doctor and Erevis told her that her condition was not something to be ashamed of and that she should be free to ask for help at any time if her flashbacks cause her to lose sleep or control of her mental faculties. The group then happened upon a band of traveling Huecuvas who, upon seeing Erevis, struck at him exclusively. Alejandra thus opted to protect the necromancer as best she could, striking down the creatures one after another with her fists and channels as they approached Erevis. The group recovered several artifacts from the bodies which they would subsequently use to add verisimilitude to the illusion. During her watch, she was visited by Djinn of Djinn, who showed some concern for her well-being. She explained to him that she has grown tired of killing needlessly, though she also knows she has to awaken every morning ready to kill if it means protecting those she cares about. He explained to her that she represented an ideal that exists in the lands of the south: The soldier who must perform his extraordinary duty not because it is impossible for others to do the same, but because it is what he must do for the sake of good. Alejandra smiled at the story and decided to recount some of her more unusual adventures long into the night. With the arrival of the next day, the plan went into effect, and Alejandra was disguised as a death knight who led the charge of phantasmal Huecuvas to the legion camp. Erevis, towards the back, launched two fireballs which decimated two of the guard towers, and the massive illusion retreated as the hobgoblin legion approached. The group then returned to Willowdale to confirm the results of the plan, and Dr. Haiduc went to relate the story to Jura while Erevis spoke with Valconey, who confirmed that the hobgoblins were rebuilding and trying to identify their attackers. Alejandra, however, went to the Reverend Mother to discuss her future, and the Mother told her that perhaps what she needed was not merely the truth to come out, but for a chance to see her family once again. She suggested that Alejandra may consider Willowdale as a new home, but it will never be complete without her loved ones there with her. That evening, there was a long celebration in the Boar and Thistle, where Dr. Haiduc presented the members of the party with magical construct gifts, including a necklace with a holy symbol of Sarenrae for Alejandra that would obey her commands and assist her when grappling with targets. Alejandra thanked him for the gift, as well as the other members of the party for their assistance, but then somewhat happily informed them that she would be returning to her homeland for some time, and that she may not see the party once again for a while. Though she now considered the members of the party as her good friends and comrades, she needs to be able to see her family once again. Alejandra thus departed the Boar and Thistle and Willowdale that evening, though not before running into Erevis and somewhat wisfully commenting that she will likely not enjoy returning home as much as he suspects. Background Alejandra, from a young age, was trained by her peers in Avenida to be a warrior, participating from even her teenage years in the endless skirmishes against the encroaching hordes of hobgoblins invading from the south. Her parents were unknown to her, though she had been told that they perished in their own battles against the hobgoblins. Her education focused largely on military strategy, martial skill, and survival techniques, with very little time to spare on matters like diplomacy or trades. By age 15, she was working closely with a military unit that included one of her fiercest rivals, a man named Enicio Vargas, and a quieter, more serious youth by the name of Ballantino Rogaceu. Vargas was a man of great intellect, but insisted on resorting to underhanded and morally suspect tactics to win battles, thus lowering Alejandra's opinion of him and straining their relationship. Meanwhile, Rogaceu approached combat with a sort of ritualistic intensity, and respected both comrade and foe alike. Though she worked closely with both men for several years and through numerous campaigns against the hobgoblins, Rogaceu one day asked his comrade-at-arms if she would do him the great honour of becoming his wife, and, despite being somewhat struck by the exceeding formality of the request, she agreed happily. The two retired from the military shortly therafter, as they shared a desire to raise a family that would serve the cause of the armed forces in their stead. Alejandra in particular wanted her own children to have the support of a family, a privilege she never had herself. Alejandra gave birth to three children: Julio, her eldest son, and Noemia and Leão, the younger fraternal twin sister and brother, respectively. Julio thus bore the hopes of the two parents, and was educated extremely thoroughly in the arts of war and a code of honour by parents and peers alike. Upon his entering military service at age 15, however, he was placed under the command of Enicio Vargas, who remained in the service long enough to become a high-ranking officer. Upon meeting the youth, Vargas immediately recognized both the attitude and fighting technique of his old teammate, and for reasons unknown, bitterly ordered Julio to depart on his first mission; one that would have tested the mettle of a whole group of veteran soldiers, and Julio was being sent alone. Within a day, a raiding party being sent to follow up on the mission discovered the corpse of the boy. Alejandra, overcome with despair and rage, learned of Vargas' involvement and immediately demanded that he be executed, exiled, jailed, stripped of rank, discharged, or otherwise endured some kind of punishment for the murder of her son. The military, however, did not take the word of a retiree over that of one of their brightest officers, nor did they appreciate accusations of murder directed at one of their own, and Alejandra's pleas fell on deaf ears. Ballantino Rogaceu cut all his ties to the military in protest, and began his work in the temple of Sarenrae as a priest. Alejandra followed suit, and discovered much more meaning in doing good to others than simply fighting endless battles. She thus became a paladin, and dedicated her cause to protecting life, stridently obeying ethical principles rather than the voices of authority. Alejandra's departure from her home, however, may not have had so much to do with a desire to save the rest of the world as it is her attempt to put distance between her and Enicio Vargas, as she still questions whether or not her own willpower can keep her from exacting vengeance on her son's murderer. Before relocating them to Willowdale, she sent letters home often out of concern for her kin, and they often featured gifts of great value and tales of the heroes she travels with. Though Alejandra was quiet about this story for some time, the major details are now known to the other Pathfinders. Most have met Ballantino, Noemia, and Leão, who have since moved to Willowdale. Through conversation with these three, Jura first learned that Alejandra had another son and that an unnamed man is responsible for that child's death. Leão attempted to hire Jura to kill this man, but Alejandra asked her not to seek vengeance on their behalf. On the 4th of Hammer, Alejandra called the Pathfinders together to tell her side of the story and explain Vargas' role in the matter, in preparation for the attempt to prevent him from exploiting the power of the Cinder Man. Relationships Alejandra considers her comrades similarly dedicated to good causes, and thus seeks to stridently defend them from harm in battle. In terms of specific interpersonal relationships: She admires people of great intellect and vision who use their mental fortitude for good causes, and thus holds Rinzler, Erevis, and Dr. Jacob Haiduc in high regard. She has cited Rinzler's ability to document the miraculous and the mundane with equal fervour, Erevis' skill in using traditionally "dark" arts in the service of good, and Dr. Haiduc's dedication to long-term goals whose fruits may outlive him. She considers Jura a good friend, given Jura's show of support and understanding of Alejandra's situation and behaviour after the nightmare appeared. Alejandra now trusts Jura to fill her in on any necessary information she might have missed, and greatly appreciates her friend's honesty even in awkward situations. After Alejandra's departure, Jura asked for permission to scry for her location occasionally to make sure she would be safe on her journey. Alejandra happily obliged. Jura was also the first to learn about Alejandra's family, including the death of Julio. She originally confused Enrique for a fellow southerner and spoke to him in an indecipherably thick accent, which caused her some embarrassment upon realizing that he didn't understand her. She admires his religious devotion, though they may not always see eye-to-eye on matters of moral principle as a result. They had a brief falling out over Alejandra's perceived indifference to Enrique's crisis of faith, but it was resolved by a frank discussion between the two before it escalated too far. She is consistently astounded by Kat's behaviour, and genuinely wonders how the halfling must see the world to act towards it with such unbridled curiosity. Though she has only met Ruthea briefly, Alejandra appreciates the rogue's more pensive nature but is also concerned by her unethical behaviour. Though she will not say such things out loud, she hopes that her own daughter will grow to be just as strong-willed as Ru, but also somewhat better-behaved. Alejandra has tried to show the rogue the value of generosity and doing good for its own sake, though Ru tends to respond to such concepts with sarcasm. She has also met both Rain and Gorgoroth for only a short time, though she does recognize the former's seriousness and the latter's earnestness as hallmarks of their nature as martial fighters. She would duel them for practice and an understanding of her own strengths and limitations, and hopes to earn their respect in battle. She is somewhat more ambivalent regarding Halstein and his attraction to danger and evil weaponry, but at the same time believes that his heart is in the right place. She also has some friendships outside of the party. In particular, she displays a great respect towards the Reverend Mother, often taking one knee and bowing as a greeting, and generally forming a good rapport with her. The Reverend Mother, in return, treats Alejandra with a matronly kindness and often helps her resolve her innermost turmoils. Alejandra was rather distraught when the Reverend Mother died during the Battle of Willowdale, and was among the first to try and dig her body out of the rubble for revival. She has a bit of a conflicting relationship with Calmex, as she holds him at least partly responsible for teaching the hobgoblins the military tactics with which to terrorize her homeland, but at the same time believes his punishment was unjust and inhumane. She has told him that she believes his new life is a chance to try to make amends for his past mistakes, and that she will gladly help him if he desires to redeem himself. As far as martial prowess goes, however, she firmly believes herself to be the superior soldier and tactican, and often subtly challenges Calmex to perform various feats, partly hoping that he will rise to the occasion. Outside of Willowdale, she seems to be forming a friendship with Terminus, as she seems to empathize with his desire to walk away from his macabre past to pursue something more meaningful to him. She also seems to have enjoyed her first encounter with the Arch-Druid of Ravenswood, and wishes to meet him again. She has also formed a good rapport with a certain sphinx located in the Hyrcanian Desert. It educated her the first of the "secrets of stone" which gave her the power of the Living Monolith, and Alejandra, in turn, provided it with an offering of milk and a difficult riddle that it could not answer immediately. As part of her preparation for the battle with the Cinder Man, Alejandra has begun to carefully recall and re-evaluate her past relationship with Enicio Vargas, in the hope of at the very least blunting her utter hatred of him. Given time and support, she hopes that she can find a way to understand him a little better and forgive him for his crime against her family. Titles *Bridge Breaker *Planeswalker *Shield of the South *Hero of Willowdale *Lichbane *Gambler *Warboss *Married (Ballantino) *Dragonstriker Affiliation *Guardian of Willowdale *Teacher *Krik Krak *Vacationer Category:Player Character